The engine that normally pulls the Spirit of Jasper is a General Electric diesel-electric switch engine originally made in 1956. The #200 Club Car dates back to the 1940s and was converted into a passenger car in 2009. The #300 Lounge Car was originally a coffin car that carried the bodies of soldiers that died in World War I to their hometowns for burial. The #400 Parlour Car’s historical use was as a military hospital car.

One of the excursions the Spirit of Jasper runs is the Jasper to French Lick Express. This route is 25 miles each way. It takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes each way. There is a two and a half hour stop in French Lick for passengers to enjoy nearby attractions before the train ride back to Jasper. Highlights of this route include going through the second longest train tunnel in Indiana and the historic French Lick Train Depot, which houses the Indiana Railway Museum.

The second excursion option is the Jasper Ride & Dine. This is an 18 mile route that starts and ends at the Jasper Train Depot. As passengers enjoy the scenery they are served dinner. The dinner is catered by the local authentic German cuisine restaurant called Schnitzelbank. The exact menu varies, but usually includes a few entrée options, sides, and dessert. The Japser Ride & Dine scenic train ride lasts about two and a half hours.

Groups can also charter the Spirit of Japser by chartering a whole car for a schedule train excursion or the whole train for an excursion when there are no scheduled departures. The Spirit of Jasper also occasionally offers special excursions, such as the one hour round trip rides that run during the Strassenfest in August.

We love Indiana Tourism. For specific info on NW Indiana happenings, visit our Crown Point local blog. You’ll love the historical significance!

Fortunately, I have compiled a list of 3 very popular and recommended methods to improve the chances of a successful family vacation.  A bit of effort prior your trip making your travelling travel bag perfect and ready is a good use of time.  Familiarize yourself with all the airine requirements for your toiletries, and small food items……

Use a Travel Checklist To Ensure a Fantastic Trip

1. Research your flight online before making a final purchase and ensure that you can get your entire family seated together. This is a very crucial aspect of flying with your family, especially with younger children, as you’d definitely like to be close enough to them to monitor their safety levels up close.
2. Making sure to pack everything small that can otherwise be overlooked is very important. This includes your bathroom items and medications, many of which will be necessary to keep handy with you in a foreign location where your specific brands and prescriptions won’t be readily available. A toiletry bag is definitely something to bring with you on these trips. If you’re looking to get use from these items while in airport bathrooms, there are hanging toiletry travel bags which can be fastened to the airport stall with minimal effort.  Your toiletry travel bag is a great place to focus your efferts on your travel checklist.  You can easily chunk thios task together with grocery shopping.  Select a high end grocery store, and bring the size ziplock bag that you are allowed to travel with.  See what you can fit in.  Shampoo, cream rinse, leave in conditioner, a wide comb, washcloths.
3. Thirdly, another helpful traveling tip is to make sure your kids are good and tired before boarding the plane. Many children are not suited to sit tight for multiple hours in a cramped airline seat. It’s best for them to sleep through as much of it as possible, to be easier on both the children, as well as the parents.  Red eye flights are popular with children.  When they board it’s quiet, and bedtime.  Bring along a comfort doll and baby quilt, and napping just might work for you.  (Partcularily if there is a chance of a vacant seat, to stretch out.  And be thoughtful of the child’s diet pior to flying – an upset stomach or trips to the bathroom might now be very pleasant.

Do you have any special travel tips to share?  Do you hire a travel nanny to help out?  Getting through security can be a challenge – how do you handle it?  Please leave a comment and share you experiences and travel tips!

How to book your discount Walt Disney World Vacation: Click Here:
Book Travelosity for Disney World up to 40% Off!

Need Group Travel or Family Vacation ideas? You’ll love to hang out with your gang at Disney World – there’s something for everyone!

Need flight information to the United States on Air France?  You can reserve your Air France flight into the United States to Miami. Click here for the lowest available Air France fares.

What To Do Las Vegas –
Las Vegas Attraction Power Pass

Ok, so you have your hotel Las Vegas, been planning your vacation (Bachelor Party Las Vegas?  Bachelorette Party Las Vegas?  Family Reunion Las Vegas?)  for about 100 years, and finding cheap lodging Las Vegas isn’t an issue, now what? What to DO LAS VEGAS!!!
Las Vegas Attraction Power PassBefore your road trip Las Vegas, plan out your entertainment to enjoy economy Las Vegas, to make this your best vacation Las Vegas ever!!! You’ll need the Vegas Attraction Power Pass to make the most of your Vegas vacation!  Get your Travel Fun Card now, and start planning What to DO LAS VEGAS!!!
Las Vegas Attraction Power Pass (Reference:  VISITicket, Las Vegas, VISITicket.com)

What to Do Las Vegas! Las Vegas Attraction Power Pass Las Vegas attractions.  You’ll save time – no waiting in long lines. Save money – up to $500 in admissions and discounts to 20 of the most exciting attractions in Las Vegas. Plus! Your Las Vegas Power Pass entitles you to a host of special offers and discounts at restaurants and shops.Las Vegas tours, trusted tours and attractions, Las Vegas shows, las Vegas sightseeing, las Vegas zoo, las Vegas art museum, madame Tussuad’s las Vegas wax museum, Siegfried & Roy’s Secret and more!

Las Vegas Attraction Power PassSave time – no waiting in long lines. Las Vegas Attraction Power PassSave money – up to $500 in admissions and discounts to 20 of the most exciting attractions in Las Vegas. Plus! Your Las Vegas Power Pass entitles you to a host of special offers and discounts at restaurants and shops.

When you buy the Las Vegas Attraction Power Pass for your group travel to Vegas, you get lots of free stuff too!  Here’s how it works – you buy the pass online for about One Hundred Dollars for adults, or about Sixty Five Dollars for kids 12 years old and younger.  Take your eTicket with you on your road trip to Las Vegas, then exchange it for your pass.  (To exchange and and get your pass just visit the Planet Hollywood Retail Shop, which is located in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.)  Suggestion, buy your pass now, and research the attractions that you get for free, and map them out. 
Once you start the pass you have 48 hours to run around Las Vegas like crazy, and get in as many as you can!  Its a fun thing to do in Las Vegas when you’re looking for What to Do Las Vegas!!!. Here’s the list of all the free stuff to do in Las Vegas with your pass:
Las Vegas Attraction Power Pass

1. Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas
2. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art in Las Vegas
3. Play Games at Jillian’s Las Vegas at Neonopolis
4. Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas
5. Hoover Dam Tour from Las Vegas
6. Las Vegas Art Museum
7. Las Vegas Fashion Outlets Shopper’s Shuttle
8. Las Vegas Natural History Museum
9. Las Vegas SkyMania Fun Center
10. Las Vegas Zoo
11. Liberace Museum is Las Vegas’ Finest
12. Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas Interactive Wax Experience
13. Manhattan Express Rollercoaster in Las Vegas
14. Nevada State Museum
15. Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
16. See Las Vegas from the Stratosphere Tower
17. Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitatat
18. SPEED-The Ride and Cyber Speedway of Las Vegas
19. Springs Preserve Las Vegas
20. The Adventuredome Theme Park at Circus Circus
21. The Creation Tour at Grand Canyon West
22. Visit Egypt at the King Tut Museum Las Vegas

Click Here:
Buy the Las Vegas Attraction Power Pass

Travelocity is a great site to book the cheapest deals in Vegas! When you click the link above you’ll be directed to the hottest deals in Vegas, with off-strip rooms at $17. per night all the way up to luxury rooms at $120. and everything in between! Why not get away to Las Vegas for a few days and go people watching? This is a great time to get rock bottom prices and deals in Las Vegas! This is a great Bachelor Party or Bachelorette Party idea! Looking for Group Travel Ideas? Why not meet in Las Vegas for a show? The Lion King in Las Vegas is getting rave reviews, and that would be a fun family idea in Las Vegas! So if you’re looking for Vegas reservations, give Travelosity a try today!

Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! (And we have the pictures to prove it!)

Enjoy your travel to Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – Get your discount travel to Central Europe with Travelocity – And now you can visit this exciting region for less. Book a Flight + Hotel escape to Central Europe today and get $100 cash back, instantly. Click “Buy”:

TotalTrip_Discover Central Europe: Save $100 on Your Flight + Hotel Vacation > CLICK BUY FOR TRAVELOCITY EUROPE PROMO CODE TotalTrip_Discover Central Europe: Save $100 on Your Flight + Hotel Vacation >CLICK BUY FOR PROMO CODE

The top cruise line, Royal Caribbean is now booking a 7 night Northwest Cruise to Alaska. Why not cruise Royal Caribbean and go to Alaska this summer? Alaska’s a beautiful trip, and prices are at an all time low! Why not schedule your Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruise now through Travelosity – where you get an extra layer of excellent customer service?
CLICK HERE: Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas Why Not Go Northwest Cruise with Travelocity

Cruise dates for the Rhapsody of the Sea Royal Caribbean Alaska Northwest Cruise include:

• May 29, 2009
• June 12, 2009
• June 26, 2009
• July 3, 2009
• July 10, 2009
• And More – Click link below for more Royal Caribbean departure dates: 


CLICK HERE: Royal Caribbean Departure Dates Alaska Cruise – Rhapsody of the Seas

Here are some sample prices for 3 nites Las Vegas NV hotel and airfare:

1. 1. The Mirage:  $489 (gorgeous renovated rooms, author’s favorite)
2. Wynn Las Vegas: $489 and $50 casino credit (World’s only 5 star and 5 diamond casino resort)
3. Encore Las Vegas: $514 and $50 resort credit
4. THEHotel at Mandalay Bay: $434 and 2009 booking bonus
5. Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino: $599 and 2009 Coupon Booklet (formerly Aladdin)
6. Riviera Hotel and Casino: $324 (other end of strip from Mirage, local’s favorite.)
7. Monte Carlo Resort and Casino: $324.
8. Excalibur Hotel and Casino: $324. and $20 free play
9. Circus Circus Hotel and Casino: $279. and one 2 – for – 1 pass at the Adventuredome

CLICK HERE: Las Vegas Sale
Air and hotel vacation packages to Las Vegas for 3 nights from $345 per person. Book 5/1 – 5/29.

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Top 5 Travelosity Bachelorette Party Ideas:

1. Local Getaways on Travelosity from $35.00 – Just click on the Local Getaways Link – for a great bachelorette party idea – cheap! – buy hair curlers, hairspray, facial masks, rent Gidget Movies and book hotel rooms close to home – girls nite out!,
2. Save up to 40% in Waikiki – frolic in the surf and check out the pool guy! Have time time of your life with your best friends at your Hawaiian bachelorette party!
3. Las Vegas – shop – swim – shows! Remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! (No-one needs to know how many trips to the dessert table you took at the Las Vegas buffet for your bachelorette party in Vegas!)
4. Travelosity has great Disney Deals!  Disneyland, Disneyworld, Disney Cruises! Be a kid with your sisters and girlfriends one last time on your Disney Bachelorette party! Why not wear tiaras and have your faces painted? Going to Disneyland for your bachelorette party? Be sure to book the Blue Bayou Restaurant to overlook the Pirates of the Caribbean! Planning a Walt Disney World bachelorette party? You’ve got to book the Sci-Fi Drive in or the 50’s Prime time cafe for a great lunch or dinner party theme at your Disney Bachelorette party! Get your hair done in big pouffy do’s, get some retro pointy bras, wear petal pushers and have a ball at your Disney World Bachelorette party!
5. Travelosity Ski Destinations!  Hit the slopes by day, party by night!

Related Posts: Las Vegas Nevada Hotel and Airfare

The Richard Petty Ride Along experience would be wonderful for so many occasions – wouldn’t it be good clean fun for a bachelors party? How about an exciting destination for a family reunion? Wouldn’t this be a fun and exciting surprise birthday party? There are so many great ways to celebrate with a racecar experience, and there are so many great locations to celebrate!

Click Here: Richard Petty Ride Along Locations: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, California Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington, Daytona International Speedway, Gateway International Raceway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowes Motor Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire International Speedway, Phoenix Inernational Raceway, Richmond International Raceway, Talladega Superspeedway, Texas Motor Speedway, The Milwaukee Mile, Walt Disney World Speedway.

Caribbean and Mexico Sale: Reach Paradise from $104 Round-Trip on American Airlines! > Expires 02/25/09

Tags: Richard Petty Ride Along, Bachelor Party Ideas, Things to do in Las Vegas, Nascar